Sporting equipment can create an undesirable mess if not kept neatly organized. The task of organizing sports equipment in one's home can be a very challenging one. At home, a closet is often used to store basketballs or footballs. Consequently, the contents of the closet become a hazard as the basketball, football and other contents spill out of the closet when the door is opened. An adjustable elevated device for storing sports balls, whether at home, or in a garage, would serve to prevent tripping or related accidents as well as provide a more organized and efficient manner of storage.
In an effort to address the need for a more efficient storage of sports related balls, particularly, a number of equipment racks have been developed These inventions focus on support devices in which the sports equipment is placed on the rack The device is then dependent on gravity to keep the balls in place; if the ball or device is jarred the ball easily falls off. These inventions do not provide a secure holding device for a ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,550 discloses a storage rack with treaded pegs. It includes a compact base with two or more pairs of peg holes and two or more pegs that may be inserted into a second pair of holes. While this invention provides a means for storing various items, it does not address the need for storing basketballs, footballs and the like.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,794 discloses a sports equipment rack. The invention includes both a fixed frame and a removable basket, which provides support for equipment of a variety of sports. The fixed frame includes bat retainers for supporting a plurality of bats and parallel guide members for removable supporting balls such as basketballs, soccer balls, etc. The device is cumbersome and uses too much space unnecessarily.
The foregoing patent and other information reflect the state of the art of which the inventor is aware and are tendered with a view toward discharging the inventor's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be pertinent to the patentability of the present invention. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that the foregoing patent and other information do not teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, the inventor's claimed invention.